Santa Paula Plane Crash Victims Identified

Update by Ventura County Sheriff’s Office

The victims from Saturday’s plane crash near Santa Paula have been identified. Ted Dopler of Palmdale, and Jody Smith of Lancaster both died in the crash that occurred shortly after 2:00 p.m. The Ventura County Medical Examiner’s Office has determined the cause of death for both men was multiple blunt force injuries due to an accident.

The plane had left earlier Saturday from Rosamond Skypark Airport in the Antelope Valley, but investigators do not yet know if the intended destination was Santa Paula Airport or another location.

The National Transportation Safety Board is looking for witnesses who saw Saturday’s crash. Anyone with information can reach investigators by e-mailing witness@ntsb.gov.

Source: Ventura County Sheriff’s Office

Location: 17000 block of South Mountain Road

Date & Time: March 31, 2018 at 2:11 p.m.

A small airplane with two men on board crashed near Santa Paula Airport, killing both occupants. The plane came down on a ranch property, narrowly missing several homes in the area. The plane clipped a storage container and a wall, before breaking apart among some trees, igniting a small fire.

The pilot and passenger were pronounced dead at the scene after the fire was quickly extinguished. Nobody on the ground was injured. The cause of the crash is unknown, and the origin and destination of the flight have not been determined. Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board will arrive at the crash site Sunday morning to examine the scene. The identities of the two men have not yet been released, pending notification of next of kin.